The Goblin King's Healing
by Dreamingcharlie
Summary: After the death of their parents, Sarah and Toby find themeselves under the custody of none other then the Goblin King, who sets them on the path of healing. Written in the style of the 100 themes challenge.
1. Introduction

"Sarah?"

Sarah Williams turned away from her desk to see her little brother, Toby, standing at the door of her room. "Sarah," he said, rubbing his sweet blue eyes. "I can't sleep."

"Oh, Toby," she sighed, getting up from her chair and holding her arms out to him. He stumbled to her and she picked him up. "Why not?"

He nestled his face into her long, dark hair. "I keep thinking about Mommy and Daddy."

Sarah's heart squeezed painfully and she reminded herself not to cry in front of Toby. About two months ago, her parents had been killed by a drunk driver when they were driving home from a date. The wound was still raw, and Sarah often found herself crying for no reason. Poor Toby hadn't understood at first, but he was finally beginning to realize that their parents weren't coming back.

"Come on," she said, rubbing his back. "Let's get you tucked in." She walked him to his room and placed him in bed, tucking the covers around him. "Here's Lancelot," she said, handing him the worn-out bear that had once been hers. "Don't worry. He'll keep you company. Now, all you have to do is close your eyes and think about how warm your bed is."

He blinked at her sleepily. "Can you tell me the Goblin King story?"

She couldn't help but grimace. That was Toby's favorite, and the one she hated the most. But Toby looked at her innocently, and she felt her heart melt. "Alright," she consented. "But I'm only telling it once. Remember, we have to be at the courthouse tomorrow."

"Why?"

She stroked his blonde hair from his face. "Because Mr. Lenton, the lawyer, is going to decide who's going to take care of us from now on."

Toby frowned. "What about Mrs. Jenson?"

Mrs. Jenson was their next door neighbor that checked in on them once a day. "Toby, you know she has her own family to look after. She can't watch us.

His frown deepened and he looked up at her. "Why can't you take care of us?"

"I'm not old enough, hun. I have to be eighteen, and I'm only going to be turning seventeen." Toby nodded, though she doubted he fully understood. "Come on, don't you want to hear the story?" He smiled, and nodded again. She heaved a mental sigh, and began.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess…"

Sarah smiled as she tucked Toby, who was fast asleep, into bed one more time. She made sure his nightlight was on before shutting the door. She went to her own room and sat on her bed, staring out at the stars. "I wish…" She sighed. What was the point of wishes? But as she gazed at the sky, Sarah found herself fixed on the brightest star, which beckoned to her. "I wish Toby and I could find a guardian that loves us."

Sarah and Toby sat in Mr. Lenton's office. Toby was on the floor, playing with some cars, and she was sitting in a chair at Mr. Lenton's desk. She shifted uncomfortably while Mr. Lenton read a stack of papers with a deep frown on his forehead.

"So, Sarah," he said after a few silent moments. "This is a tricky situation. According to your file, you and Toby have only one intermediate family member?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. My father and Karen were both only children, so there are no aunts or uncles. My father's parents died when I was young, and Karen's parents died before she even met Daddy. We do have Great-Aunt Clarissa, but she lives all the way in Iceland."

Mr. Lenton's frown deepened. "Yes, we'd preferably like to keep you and Toby closer to your home. Besides, your great-aunt is a little too old to be taking care of two children. What about your mother?"

Sarah snorted, pushing down the bitterness that buzzed in her ears. "Linda? I haven't seen her since I was ten, before she suddenly packed up and disappeared from my life. Last I heard, she was acting in some soap opera."

"Well then," Mr. Lenton said, rubbing his temples. "I suppose we could always consider foster care."

"No," Sarah said hotly. "I don't want Toby growing up like that. I-" She was interrupted when Mr. Lenton's secretary poked her head through the door.

"Excuse me," the blonde woman said. "Mr. Lenton, there's a man out here that would like to talk to you about the custody situation of the Williams children."

Confusion settled over Sarah, and it was reflected in Mr. Lenton's face. Who wanted to talk to him about their custody? All she could think of was Mrs. Jenson, and she highly doubted that. "Show him in," Mr. Lenton said, waving his hand.

Sarah's confusion changed to pure shock when the secretary led the man into the office. She recognized the man immediately; he was tall, with a sharp chin, one bright blue eye and one brown, and a shock of wild, blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket, which was opened slightly to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. His twinkling eyes caught hers, and he smiled widely and mischievously. She knew him, from his wild hair to the amulet that hung around his neck. She knew him, very well, for she had once wished her baby brother away and she'd had to battle to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth to get him back.

The Goblin King's eyes moved from her to Mr. Lenton. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said professionally, holding his hand out to the slightly bewildered lawyer. "My name is Jareth King, and I'm an old friend of Robert Williams. I've watched these two children grow up, but I'm afraid I haven't gotten the chance to see them in about three years." He turned to Toby, who was staring at him with an opened mouth, and then to Sarah, who couldn't decide if she was more shocked, afraid, or pissed off.

Mr. Lenton shook Jareth's hand. "Oh, well, hello, Mr. King. Please, have a seat." Jareth smirked at Sarah, and promptly propped himself down on the chair closest to Sarah.

She decided to be pissed. She abruptly stood up, pushing her chair backwards. "Mr. Lenton," she said angrily. "Do you think I could have a word with Mr. King for a moment? It's been so long since I've seen him."

Mr. Lenton looked at a loss, and then nodded. "Toby, stay here," she ordered. "I'll be right back." She glared at Jareth, who held the office door open for her, and marched into the hallway.

She clenched her hands into tight fists and turned to face him as he leaned against the hallway. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why, hello to you too, Sarah. I'm fine, thank you."

"Just answer the question," she growled. "Why?"

"I thought it would be obvious," he said, a slight smirk spreading across his face. "I'm here to see Mr. Lenton about becoming the guardian of you and Toby." Then, his face turned serious and he placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I am sorry about the loss of your parents. It pains me to see you hurting."

She shoved his hand off. "Don't touch me, and don't give me your condolences; I don't want them." She ignored the look of hurt on his face. "What do you think gives you the right to march into that office and decide that you're going to take Toby and I home and make us food, clean up our messes, and put us to bed? Do you honestly think that Mr. Lenton's going to put us in the custody of a total stranger that just happens to be a high-strung Goblin King that prances around in tight pants and torments goblins all day?"

He let out an exasperated sigh and moved closer to her so his face was inches from hers. "I am magic, Sarah. I have every single piece of paperwork and more that I need to give to the lawyer. Besides, do you think I could come because I wanted to? You have no power over me."

She crossed her arms. "Then how are you here?"

"I'm answering you wish," he responded. She froze, remembering the wish she had made the night before. _I wish Toby and I could find a guardian that loves us._ "Sarah," he said in a much gentler voice, and she looked in his eyes in surprise. "If I don't become your guardian, you'll be put into foster care. Granted, in a year you'll be an adult, but then who will look after Toby? Do you want him to live a life in the care of strangers?"

She hesitated. He had hit her right in the core of what she didn't want for Toby. "I'll be good to you," he continued. "I promise I'll care for Toby in the best way possible." Something in his eyes grew softer, and he gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I promise to care for you, also. I'll do what's best for both of you."

She was silent. She broke away from his gaze and stared at the floor, her thoughts reeling. She wanted with all her heart for Toby to not have to spend his life in a foster home, but she was still terrified of the Goblin King, the one who had taken him from her in the first place. _"But I asked him to," _she thought to herself, and then silently cursed. What was best? Then, she heaved a sigh of defeat. "Fine," she muttered. "Do your magic on Mr. Lenton and become our guardian. But if you do anything to hurt Toby, I'll take him away." She glared up at him, fire dancing in her green eyes.

Without another word, she pushed past him and entered the office again, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Sorry, Mr. Lenton," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's been a while since I've seen Mr. King, and I just wanted to catch up with him, especially since he and my father were really good friends." She forced the lie from her mouth, because she was certain that her father had never spoken a word with the Goblin King in his life.

Kneeling beside Toby, she smiled up at Mr. Lenton, refusing to look at Jareth. "Do you mind if Toby and I go for lunch while you two talk? I think Toby's getting bored." Mr. Lenton nodded eagerly; she knew he didn't want to find ways to keep her brother entertained. So, she helped pick up Toby's toys and took him by the hand, leading him out of the office. She shot one last glare at Jareth before they left, and Toby looked at him curiously.

"Sarah," Toby said as they made their way through the parking lot and to her car. "Who is that man?"

She sighed, staring up at the sky. "He's going to be our new guardian, Tobes. Don't worry; he'll take care of us." She squeezed his hand and smiled down at her brother. _"He better be good to us."_ This was only the introduction.

**Author's Note: _Hello there! So, this is part of the 100 themes challenge, and I started with introduction to get the story moving. For the next chapters, I'll randomly be picking different themes. Please review!_**


	2. Silence

**Author's Note:**_** Thank you to all who reviewed and put this on their alerts! I forgot to mention this before, but I own only my idea for this story. None of the characters are my own, because they all belong to the great and genius Jim Henson.**_

Sarah was driving home from her volunteer work at the library, blasting the Eagles and muttering viciously to herself about coming home for the first time to her new guardian. Today was the day that the Goblin King had moved into her house and officially entered her life once more.

"Stupid, idiotic, arrogant Goblin King," she growled. When she had taken Toby to lunch, Jareth had apparently worked his charm on Mr. Lenton and convinced the lawyer that he was the perfect man for taking custody of Sarah and Toby. He had pulled out a whole bunch of papers, proving that he had a clean, perfect background. "I bet none of those papers mentioned anything about stealing children as a hobby," Sarah said, turning the radio up louder as "Hotel California" played.

Mr. King had even found himself a job in the school district, Mr. Lenton had assured her, so they didn't have to worry about that. Not that it mattered, for Jareth King seemed to come from a long line of successful money makers.

Sarah still wasn't happy about the mighty Goblin King bouncing back into her life again. After she'd conquered the Labyrinth, Sarah had forced herself to never think about it. She'd given most of her toys to Toby, and had told herself that none of it was true. Karen had been pleased, for she believed that her stepdaughter was finally beginning to grow up. She shuddered at the memories of her stepmother and concentrated on the music, waiting for the pain to go away.

What Karen didn't know was that Sarah was terrified that the Goblin King would suddenly show up one night and steal Toby from her once and for all, and it would somehow be her fault. She'd even stopped contacting her friends. Sarah felt a pang of guilt as she thought about sweet Ludo, brave Sir Didymus, and grouchy, loyal Hoggle. And it hadn't mattered anyway. The Goblin King was back.

After she pulled into the garage and cut the ignition, Sarah dropped her head on the steering wheel and rubbed her temples. Today would be the day that she walked into her home and saw the Goblin King watching her baby brother. "This is so messed up," she moaned as she slammed her car door shut. She sighed and decided that it would be best if she only said what was necessary to her new guardian. She didn't want to explode at him on the first day under his custody.

Sarah heaved another sigh as she pushed the door open to her house. She heard Toby chatting away, and she couldn't help but smile when she heard him say, "I'm four!" She set her bag on the kitchen table, and walking into the living room, she saw him sitting on the couch with the mighty King of the Goblins, who was dressed like a normal person.

"Sarah!" Toby jumped down from the couch and ran into her outstretched arms. "You're back!"

"Hey, Tobes," she said, squeezing him tightly. "How's it going?"

He pulled back from her, a large smile on his sweet face. "I was talking with Jareth!"

"I can see that," Sarah muttered, nodding her head curtly at the Goblin King, who watched her curiously. "Hey, why don't you go look in my bag and see what I got you at the library, okay?" She chuckled as Toby immediately ran from her and into the kitchen.

"Sarah," Jareth said, standing up from the couch. Ignoring him, she took off her shoes and made her way up the stairs. "I put my things in the guest room," he called. "I didn't want to take your parent's room."

"Fine," she said curtly, and walked down the hallway to her room. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and groaned. The guest room was right next to her own room, so she and Jareth would be closer than she wanted. Once again, she cursed the Goblin King.

Entering her room, she tossed her shoes into the closet and collapsed onto her bed, shoving her face in a pillow. This whole situation just pissed her off. "Think of Toby," she muttered into the plush pillow. "This is good for Toby. He doesn't have to grow up in foster care. But, is that any worse than the stupid, malicious Goblin King?"

She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. She desperately wanted a book to read, but then she'd have to go back downstairs and get her bag, where, no doubt, Jareth would have something to say to her. Groaning, she pushed herself off of the bed and decided that she could always ignore him.

When she stepped out of her door, she stopped dead in her tracks. The door to her parent's bedroom was right across from hers, and it was ajar. Slowly, she pushed it open, and for the first time in months, Sarah went into their bedroom.

She was hit by a blast of cold, musty air. The room had been left untouched, so everything was the same. The curtains were closed, casting the room in shadows. Her heart throbbed painfully, and she was suddenly very dizzy, so she sat down on the edge of the large, white bed. The room was cold, and extremely quiet. She stared at the wall, where a family portrait hung.

She must have sat there for at least ten minutes when she heard someone coming up the stairs. Toby usually ran up them, so it must've been _him_. "Sarah," Jareth called. "Toby's downstairs watching a television show, and I was wondering if you wanted me to cook supper. Sarah?" He stopped outside of the door, peering into the dark room. She didn't move; didn't take her eyes off of the portrait. "Oh, Sarah," he said softly, quietly walking over to her.

She finally looked up at him, all annoyance that she felt towards him gone. Now, she was numb. He hesitated, then carefully sat down beside her and took her hands. She didn't even pull away.

"My parents," she said, her voice cracking. "I haven't been in here since the night they died." She realized dully that he wasn't even wearing gloves, and that his hands were warm.

"Shh," he said quietly. "I understand, love. You don't have to talk."

So, they sat there in silence. No birds sang, they didn't talk, and she didn't even cry. Jareth held Sarah's hands, and she stared at the ground. Everything was silent.


	3. Are you challenging me?

**Author's Note: **_**A big thanks to all that have reviewed, and to those who've added this to their alerts/favorites. This chapter's pretty short, but my mother and I are in the process of re-doing my room, and I have to go on a 4-H trip really soon, so I'm trying to remember which box I've put all of my 4-H stuff in. I own nothing, except my idea.**_

Sarah sat at the end of the couch in the living room, curled up into a ball with a warm quilt over her lap. Although it was the end of August, the nights were beginning to cool down, and she didn't feel like closing the windows.

The majority of the old-fashioned Victorian house was dark, save for the lamp that lit the words on the page of the book she was reading. Sarah had read it many times, and practically knew it by heart. It was the story that Toby always begged she read to him; the story that centered on the man living in the guest room upstairs, the man that somehow had them under his custody. Sarah fingered the worn pages of what had once been her favorite book; _The Labyrinth._

Starting at the beginning, she flipped to the last chapter, and stopped at a line that had been circled and underlined darkly. She mouthed the line aloud, memories flooding her mind. "You have no power over me."

She shuddered, and pulled the blanket closer to her. She remembered all too clearly, standing on the broken pieces of the Escher room, the worn-out Goblin King circling around her like a weary predator, and the clock striking thirteen as she frantically tried to remember that one line.

She chuckled, remembering the last time she saw the Goblin King as, well, the Goblin King. He'd been wearing a tattered, grey fur cape, the usual tight pants, and a haggard, nervous expression. Now, he looked slightly normal. For example, today he'd worn a pair of dark, still slightly tight, jeans and a loose blue shirt with his hair tied back. He still wore his amulet, but at least his shirts weren't hanging open like they'd been when she ran the Labyrinth.

She leaned her head against the couch and sighed, her head filled with confusion. She was tired, but she didn't want to go upstairs to her room. No telling what the Goblin King would do next. She stared at the ceiling and felt herself slowly nod off…

"Sarah." With a jerk, she was awake, and shocked to see that Jareth was standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest, which happened to be shirtless. She felt a blush creep down her neck and forced herself to look anywhere but his bare chest. "Sarah, you need to go to bed," he said, leaning down beside her. "It's way past midnight."

She sat up and pushed the warm blanket from her lap, fixing him a glare. "You may be my guardian, but you still don't have power over me."

Suddenly, he was in her face, pinning her against the couch. "Are you challenging me?" he growled. "Because I do, in fact, have power over you. I have a whole file of papers with my signatures on them, and they clearly state that you and Toby are under my custody. Besides, you wished me here, so I do have power over you know. And I'm telling you to go to bed, because I know you haven't been sleeping well for the last few nights."

His response shocked the words right out of her. She didn't know if she should be upset, annoyed, or touched at the fact that he was looking out for her. It didn't help that her tired brain was sluggishly processing everything.

"Uuugh," she growled, sliding past him and pushing herself to her feet. Suddenly, a wicked grin came across his face and he turned and placed his fingertips on her forehead. She opened her mouth to protest, but she was suddenly very, very exhausted. She could even hold herself upright, and as she slid to the floor, Jareth reached out and took her in his arms.

"A little tired, aren't we?" he said, pulling her up from the floor and supporting her like she was a baby, which ended with her being squashed against his bare, warm skin.

"I can walk," she protested meekly, trying to squirm out from his grip, and at the same time trying to keep her eyelids open.

He laughed, and she felt it rumble through his chest. "I doubt that, love. Now, hush and let me take you to your bed." Without another word, he carried her up the stairs. Sleep begged to take over her, but she forced herself to stay awake and make sure he didn't try anything funny.

Instead, he bought her to her room like he said he would. Gently, he placed her on her bed and pulled the covers around her body. She glared at him with heavy, exhausted eyes. "Not funny," she mumbled.

He chuckled and knelt down beside her. "That's what you get, love." Then, to her surprise, he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. She didn't even glare at him; she was too tired. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and stood up, making his way to her door. He paused before turning off the light. "Sarah, don't challenge me again."

Then, he turned her light off, shut the door, and Sarah let sleep overtake her.


	4. Creation

**Author's Note:**_** So, to make up for the previous short chapter, I decided to write another one today. Mostly, I don't feel like cleaning the bathrooms & packing for my trip. Enjoy! I don't own any characters, just my ideas.**_

Jareth frowned as Sarah came down the stairs that morning. Her eyes were red and tired, and she barely even acknowledged him. He poured her a cup of coffee as she sat down, and she only nodded her head. Usually, she came up with some sort of snarky comment. "Are you alright?" he asked as she stared dully into the mug.

She shrugged. "Just tired."

"Maybe you should stay home today," he suggested. "I can call into the library and tell them you're sick."

She shook her head. "Today's Friday; story time in the children's section. I always read to the kids on Friday."

It must be the nightmares, he decided. Last night he'd heard her mumbling frantically in her sleep, so he'd decided to look in on her dreams with his dream crystals. He'd been surprised to see that her dreams were filled with bright flashes of lights, the sound of metal crunching on metal, and high-pitched screams. She must've been dreaming about the crash that killed her parents.

She sighed and left the counter, leaving her coffee untouched. He watched her take her keys and leave for the library, worry for her filling his mind. He shook his head and began to read today's paper, waiting for Toby to wake. It still amazed him that the Abovegrounders put their important news on paper for everyone to see. He would have to consider starting something like that in his Labyrinth.

About an hour later, Toby stumbled down the stairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Good morning," Jareth said, getting down a bowl for Toby's breakfast. "Did you sleep well?"

Toby nodded and began to ramble on about a dream he'd had involving a paper airplane and goblins. Jareth only half-listened; he was thinking about how cheerless Sarah had been lately. "Toby," he said, after the boy was done telling him about is dream. "Do you think Sarah's been more sad than usual lately?"

Toby frowned. "A little. She doesn't play with me as much."

"Hmm," Jareth said. "Well don't you think we should create something to cheer her up?"

Toby's face brightened. "Yeah!"

Jareth smiled. "I agree. And I know just what we need to do."

Sarah didn't even play music as she drove home from the library. It had been hard for her to find the right amount of energy and happiness that was required to read books to small children. Lately, she'd been having terrible dreams that mostly involved deadly car crashes. It wasn't helping her sleep, and it made her miss her parents even more. As she pulled into the garage, she felt her eyes prick with tears, so she leaned her head on the steering wheel and sat there for a minute. Some days were harder than others, and today was definitely one of those days.

When she'd finally composed herself, Sarah gathered her things and exited her car. When she pushed open the door, she caught sight of Toby peeking around the corner. He squealed and ran off, yelling, "She's coming, she's coming!"

She stopped, half expecting to be grabbed by men in dark ski masks. Then, she suspiciously made her way down the hallway and poked her head around the corner. Immediately, she was assaulted by the delicious, garlicky smell of Italian food, and her stomach grumbled loudly. "Hello?" she called, and made her way into the dining room.

The sight that met her eyes made her gasp in delight. The lights were dimmed, but glowing candles sat everywhere, casting the room in a soft glow. The table was covered in a white tablecloth, and was laden with delicious-smelling food. She saw a large pot filled with some kind of pasta, a green tossed salad, buttery garlic bread, and a pitcher of red juice. Toby stood at the end of the table, a huge grin on his face.

"What's all this?" she asked.

"We wanted to surprise you," Jareth's voice said from behind her, making her jump. She turned around to see that he was standing very close to her, and her skin pricked. "We figured you would appreciate a nice dinner."

"Thank you," she said, surprised. "It's beautiful."

Jareth smiled and held out a chair, motioning for her to sit. She did, and he took the chair across from her, and Toby sat beside her. Jareth took her plate and dished out a serving of pasta. "I didn't even know you could cook," she confessed.

He chuckled. "Sometimes, it's best not to trust goblins with your food, love. I had to learn how to prepare food if I wanted to eat things that didn't poison me, until I got a proper chef." He poured her a glass of the red liquid. "Don't worry," he said. "This is Kool-Aide, not wine. Eat."

The food was heavenly, better than anything she'd had in a long time. She listened to Toby chatter about his day, all the while noticing that Jareth's eyes never left her from across the table. She felt herself blush, and he grinned.

After they'd all finished eating, Jareth disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a pie. He cut it into pieces, putting one on each of their plates. "It's peach," he said as he set her plate before her.

She froze, staring at the pie. "Is something wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She felt her face grow hot. "I don't each peaches," she stammered out. "Not since," she glanced at Toby, who was digging into his pie. "Well, not since you-know-when."

He sighed and bent down to whisper in her ear so Toby wouldn't here. "I'm not going to feed you any more poisoned peaches, Sarah. It's just a normal piece of pie."

"But-" she protested as he sat down.

"Just eat the damn pie, Sarah," Jareth said, rolling his eyes. She glared at him and promptly took a bite. Reluctantly, she swallowed, half-expecting the world to start spinning as she was sucked into an enchanted crystal ball room. When nothing happened, she took another bite. She'd forgotten how delicious peaches were her. Jareth shot her an I-told-you-so grin, and she stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh.

After everyone was finished, Sarah helped Jareth clear the dishes while Toby ran to the living room. They worked in silence, neither saying a word. When Sarah put the last plate away, she turned to Jareth. "Thanks," she said softly, avoiding his gaze.

He smirked. "There's still more to come," he said, walking out of the kitchen. "Come on, love."

With confusion, she followed him into the living room. Then, she gasped again, for the room was lit up by Christmas lights. "This was my idea," Toby said, grinning. "I thought a party would make you happy, Sarah!"

She knelt down and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Tobes. Who's invited to this party?"

"Just us," Jareth said, standing by the loudspeaker. "It's just us three." Then, he turned on the speakers, and Sarah smiled when "Hotel California" by the Eagles started playing. Jareth grinned and held his hands out to her. "Care to dance, love?"

She shook her head, laughing. "You're crazy!" Then she reached out and grabbed Toby, spinning him around. He squirmed in her arms, breaking free.

"Sarah," he said loudly. "You can't dance with me!"

Suddenly, Jareth grabbed her hand and spun her around so she was facing him. "You're my partner, love," he said, taking her other hand and spinning her around. At first she tried to pull away, but she saw that Toby was giggling, and that Jareth was smiling down at her. So, Sarah decided to let it be, and for the first time since she had eaten his enchanted peach, Sarah danced with the Goblin King.

Taking it all in, she listened to Toby's laughter, something that she scarcely heard since the terrible accident, and she felt the smile on her own face. For some reason, dancing with Jareth made her happy instead of freaked out. She leaned her chin on his shoulder as they swayed to the music, and she felt the empty spot that had appeared when her parents died fill with warmth. Tonight, Jareth had done something that she'd been trying to do since the night her parents died. He had pulled the three of them together, making them smile and laugh. Jareth, King of the Goblins, had created happiness once more.


	5. Tears

** Author's Note:**_** Sorry this one's super short, but I'm in the process of finishing up another one that I wrote on the bus ride home from my trip. Enjoy!**_

Jareth studied the back of Sarah's head, admiring the way her dark hair shimmered in the setting sunlight. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on her hands. She'd been sitting outside for nearly an hour, watching the sun sink from the sky. He frowned when he realized that her shoulders were shaking, and he was guessing it wasn't because she was cold.

He slowly approached her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sarah," he said softly, sitting down on the grass beside her. She turned to him, and he saw that her face was streaked with tears. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and turned away from him. For a moment, she was silent, and he gently rubbed her shoulder. "Today was Daddy and Karen's anniversary," she finally said. "It was their fifth anniversary."

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I used to hate Karen," she said, nearly whispering. "I used to blame her for my mother leaving, even though Daddy met her a year after Linda left. It wasn't until I brought Toby back that I realized I was being selfish and childish. We just started getting close, but then they died." She buried her face in her hands. "I was planning on making them a huge, candlelit dinner today. And now, they're gone." With that, tears began to spill uncontrollably from her eyes, and she couldn't repress her sobs.

Jareth's heart clenched; he hated seeing her in pain. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her face to his chest. Her sweet smell filled his nose, and he wanted so much to capture her lips in a kiss, but he knew she needed a comforter at this moment, not a lover. "How can I help you?" he asked quietly.

Her voice was muffled from his shirt. "Just talk to me," she said. "Make me think of something else."

"Alright," he said soothingly, stroking her hair. "Well, for one thing, the sunsets here are pretty, but they aren't near as beautiful as the ones Underground." He went on to talk about everything, quietly telling her about the history of the Labyrinth, the rules of Fae court, and the pranks that had been played on him by the goblins. Eventually she stopped shaking, so he kept telling her about the gardens that surrounded the back of his castle and the old forests that were rumored to contain wood nymphs.

After a while, he noticed how quiet and still she was. "Sarah?" he said softly, carefully shifting her so he could see her face. She was sound asleep. He gently wiped off the still-wet tears on her face, and he moved her head onto his lap. He sighed, stroking the hair from her face. He sat there with her until the sun completely disappeared, and he wondered what he could do to permanently stop her tears from falling.


	6. Insanity

**Author's Note: **_**Here we are! This one was really fun to write, and it made me so glad that I don't have school right now. Thanks for the reviews, and please keep them coming. Enjoy! Oh, and I actually own a character now; Mallory is my own creation, along with my ideas, while the rest is not.**_

The end of August came quickly, and on the last week summer, Jareth was gone during the days to prepare for the start of his job in the school district. He refused to tell Sarah what his job actually was, no matter how much she bugged him.

Sarah, meanwhile, threw herself into preparing Toby for his first year of pre-school. She swore that she was more nervous than he was. Mrs. Jenson designated herself to be the one who would care for Toby in the afternoon, because he only had pre-school in the morning.

On the last day of summer, Sarah drove Toby into the elementary school for an hour of play time and a chance to meet the teachers and other children. It was hard for her, because it should've been Karen driving Toby, not her. Even Toby was unusually quiet; he spent the majority of the car ride staring out the window.

When they finally managed to locate Toby's classroom, Sarah was surprised to see Jareth waiting for them outside of the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked when he greeted them.

"A little bird told me you were bringing him in," he explained. "I was in the neighborhood and I figured we should all be here to support Tobes." Sarah couldn't help but smile. Toby, of course, was thrilled.

While Jareth helped Toby build an impossibly high tower of colored blocks, Sarah noticed that one of the aides, a pretty blonde girl named Anna, couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of Jareth. Sarah felt her gut tighten with envy, and she told herself it was wrong to send hate thoughts to the girl, because Jareth wasn't hers.

After the teachers met with each child, Jareth took her and Toby out for lunch. As Sarah laughed while Jareth kept flicking black olives at Toby, she couldn't help but feel like she belonged to an actual family again.

On the first morning of school, Sarah couldn't sleep. She groaned when her clock told her it was an impossibly early time, but she decided that there was no hope in trying to fall asleep again. Tying a robe around her body, she made her way down to the kitchen, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"Well, good morning sunshine!" Jareth greeted her with a smirk, taking in her messed up hair and crabby expression. "You look beautiful, as always."

"Shut up," she growled, throwing a spoon at him. He ducked, laughing. "I didn't sleep very well."

"Have some coffee," he said, pouring her a cup. "And it always helps to start the day off with a healthy breakfast." He tossed a peach to her, and she glared at his slightly taunting expression.

She sat across from him and took a bite out of the peach, studying him. He was already dressed, wearing a blue dress shirt, a brown tie, and brown pants. His normally wild hair was neatly tied back. "You look snazzy," she remarked. "Are you going to tell me what your job is?"

"Thank you, love. And, no. But if you don't figure it out by the end of the day, I'll let you know."

She glared at him. "You drive me crazy."

He laughed. "That's good. At least I know I'm doing something right."

She groaned in exasperation and went back up the stairs to take a shower and get ready for school. Jareth was going in to wake up Toby when she walked out of the bathroom in her robe and with a towel on her head. He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll wake him up and get him ready to go," he said, motioning to Toby's sleeping form. "You're driving him to school, correct?"

"Yes," she replied, walking into her room. "Tell him I say good morning." She didn't voice her worry about Toby's first day to Jareth. She was even more worried about her first day. Would her friends treat her any different than usual? After her parent's death, she'd distanced herself from the outside world as much as possible. Now she feared that they wouldn't treat her like herself, that they would treat her as some poor, delicate creature.

She blasted music to help calm her fears and got everything that she needed for the day ready. While she was searching frantically for her car keys, Jareth appeared in her doorway. He sighed and walked into her room, turning down the music, ignoring her glare.

"I'm going to go now," he said. "Toby's all dressed and ready to leave. He's eating breakfast right now."

"Great," Sarah replied distractedly. "Have you seen my keys anywhere?"

He chuckled and tossed them at her. "You left them in the fridge, smart girl. I don't know how they ended up there." He blew her a kiss and walked out. "I'll see you later," he called from the stairs.

Sarah stared at the keys, wondering how on earth they'd ended up in the fridge. Then she shook her head, grabbed her bag, and went down to get Toby. _Jareth_ didn't treat her like some poor, delicate creature, she realized. She was glad he didn't.

"Hey, Tobes," she said cheerily. "Are you exited?" Toby nodded his head and grinned, setting his bowl in the sink. "Me too," she said, even though she was nervous as all get out. "Come on; let's get your stuff in the car."

A few minutes later, all bags were loaded, all persons accounted for, and everyone was buckled in and ready to go. Sarah nervously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as Toby chatted about how Mrs. Jenson had promised him chocolate chip cookies for when she picked him up.

When they got to the elementary school, Toby's teacher was waiting outside with a group of Toby's classmates. Sarah helped him get his back pack on and knelt down to him. "Alright," she told him nervously. "Be good, okay?" He nodded earnestly, and she kissed him on the cheek. "That's my boy."

"Bye, Sarah," Toby said and ran to his teacher. Sarah watched him for a few moments, and then forced herself to leave him and drive to her own school.

"Toby will be fine," she told herself fiercely. "And so will you." She grabbed her bag, made sure her keys were in her pocket and not her cup holder, and locked the door. As she walked towards the high school, she saw her best and closest friend, Mallory sitting at a picnic table.

"Sarah!" Mallory jumped up from her seat and squeezed her tightly. "I've waited for you, what took you so long?"

"Sorry," Sara said, hugging her friend back. "I had to drop Toby off first. Today's his first day."

"That's great!" Mallory let go of her and stepped back, a large toothy smile on her face. She was taller than Sarah and skinny, with curly, mousy hair and bright blue eyes. She must've spent a lot of time in the sun over the summer, because she had more freckles than usual. Mallory's expression grew more serious as she studied Sarah. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Sarah said firmly. "Honestly, I think I'm beginning to heal. Don't worry," she said, taking Mallory's hands. "I will talk with you later, but now, I just want to be a normal high schooler on the first day of school."

"We'd better hurry then," Mallory said, pulling her inside the building. "You don't want to be late to the very first class of your junior year. I've already checked, we have first period together; Enriched English 11. Did you hear that we're getting a new teacher? He just moved into town over the summer. What do you think he'll be like?"

Sarah smiled vaguely and nodded, letting Mallory go on. Like Toby, her best friend was a major chatter box. As they walked through the hallways, Sarah saw people sneaking glances at her and whispering to their friends. She ignored them, and instead smiled brightly at her other friends.

"Here we are," Mallory said, stopping outside of a classroom. "I picked out seats already, I hope you don't mind." She led Sarah to a front-row desk closest to a window on the far side of the classroom.

"This is great," Sarah said cheerfully. She and Mallory chatted for a few minutes until the warning bell rang. The class quieted down for a moment, but their English teacher still hadn't arrived, so the talking grew louder. Then, the final bell rang, and their teacher still hadn't showed up.

Three minutes after the final bell rang, the door to the classroom flew open. Sarah glanced up from talking to Mallory, and completely froze. For there, standing in front of the class with a cocky smirk on her face, was none other than the Goblin King himself.

"Good morning, class," he said loudly, silencing the talking. "My name is Jareth King, or Mr. King to you." His eyes settled on Sarah and his smile grew even louder. She glared back at him, clenching her fists at her side.

Mallory leaned across to her. "Isn't that your father's friend that's taking care of you?"

"Yes," Sarah spat out. "It is." She felt her face heat up, so she dropped her eyes and glared at her desk. _How dare he?_ Not only did she have to spend her mornings and evenings with him, but _now_ she had to spend first period with him!

Glancing up, she noticed that he had passed out papers, no doubt forms that had to be sent home for signatures. Sighing, she raised her hand in the air. He smirked and came over to her desk. "Yes, Sarah?"

"Jar- Mr. King," she said through gritted teeth. "I noticed that you haven't given me any papers."

"That's because I've already signed them for you," he replied. "And I figured, if you're so enthralled with the classroom rules, we can go over them at dinner while we discuss Toby's first day of school."

"Jareth," she hissed, her blood boiling. He hadn't spoken loudly enough for the whole class to hear, but some people, including Mallory, were staring at Sarah with wide eyes. Her faced burned as he raised his eyebrows at her and turned to the rest of the students.

Sarah tuned him out for the rest of the class, thinking of the many different ways she could kill him while he slept. When the bell rang and students rushed out to the hallways, Sarah stayed behind. "Go on," she said to Mallory. "I have a few things to say to Mr. King. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" Mallory nodded, a small smirk spreading across her face.

"Yes, love?" Sarah spun around to see Jareth standing right behind her, a taunting grin on his face.

"You-" she sputtered. "You nasty, unspeakable, bog-smelling, King of the Goblins! How dare you waltz into my classroom and expect to play teacher?"

He laughed. "Sarah, as much as I'd love to hear your enthralling insults at me, you're going to be late for your next class. Go on." He fluttered his hand at the door, motioning for her to get going.

"Jareth," she shrieked. "I swear, if I have to spend the next one hundred and eighty days with you as my teacher, I'm going to go insane!" And with an exasperated huff, Sarah stomped out of his classroom, storm clouds thundering in her mind.


	7. Deep in thought

** Author's Note: **_**So sorry for the long wait! I've been working on three stories at once, and they're all starting to get muddled up in my brain, so I had to take some time to sort them all out. As always, the only things I own are my ideas and my character, Mallory. Enjoy!**_

Sarah sat on the couch in the living room with her knees drawn to her chest and hugging a pillow. The house was quiet and beginning to grow dark. She stared at the coffee table, not really paying attention to her surroundings. Her mind was elsewhere.

She jumped as Jareth suddenly appeared in front of her. He sat down on the coffee table and fixed her with an inquisitive look. "I'll laugh if you break the table," she said jokingly.

He mockingly raised his eyebrows. "Are you trying to tell me something about my weight? That's not very kind of you."

"Then I'm not a very kind person," she remarked. "Where's Toby?"

"Mrs. Jenson's grandson came for the weekend," Jareth explained. "She invited Toby to spend the night so we could have the house to ourselves." He placed his hands behind him and leaned back, ignoring the groaning table. For a few moments, he stared at her, and Sarah did her best to ignore him.

"What?" Sarah said, annoyed.

Jareth shrugged. "I'm bored."

"And how is that my problem? You're the adult."

He chuckled. "Well, what are you doing?"

She sighed. "I _was _thinking, before you decided to show up. Not very entertaining, I suppose."

"Interesting," he said. "What were you thinking about?"

"Jareth," she groaned. "I don't even know! My thoughts are all jumbled together."

He grinned. "I could help you figure them out." He conjured up a crystal and held it before her.

She eyed it warily. "What does it do?"

"It takes your thoughts and shows them to you in pictures. It's rather useful. All you have to do is hold it up to your forehead until the fog in it clears, and then you can watch your thoughts. Do you want to try it?"

She firmly shook her head. "No way. I'm not too fond of your magic crystal balls."

"Sarah," he insisted. "I promise it won't hurt you. How about, if you try it, I'll try it?" He stared her down, still offering her the crystal. She squirmed under his uncomfortable gaze.

"Fine," she growled, giving in. "I'll try the stupid crystal." His grin grew wider as he placed it in her hand. "It's warm," she said, surprised, and held it up to her forehead. The crystal grew foggy for a moment and then cleared, so she held it in her palm for both her and Jareth to see.

The first image it produced was of Mallory walking towards her with a large smile on her face. Then, it changed to one of Jareth walking into her English classroom, and Sarah grew irritated once more. Next, the crystal showed one of her and Toby putting a puzzle together, and then it switched to Jareth reading a book to Toby. Then, it showed the smiling faces of Karen and her father, and Sarah felt a tear trickle down her face. Next, the crystal showed her and Jareth dancing in the living room, and Toby laughing beside them. Finally, the crystal showed her leaning into Jareth's shoulder as she cried on the day of Karen and her father's anniversary. Then, the crystal cleared and grew cloudy once more.

She looked up at Jareth, her face burning, to see that he was smirking at her. "You sure think of me a lot," he said mockingly. She glared at him and handed the crystal over to him.

"Shut up," she said. "It's your turn." He took it from her, and she shivered when his fingers brushed against her palm. Noticing her reaction to his touch, he smirked even more. Then, he held the crystal to his forehead and waited for the fog to clear.

The first image that appeared was the view from the Labyrinth from on top of the large hill outside it. Then, it switched to Jareth sitting on his throne room, pressing his fingers to his temples as the goblins chattered, danced, and tormented the chickens. Then, it showed Sarah standing outside of Mr. Lenton's office with her arms crossed and a fierce expression on her face. Next, an image of Toby sitting beside him on the couch, chattering nonstop, and Sarah walking into the room. Then, an image of the younger Sarah dancing in his arms in the crystal ballroom, wearing that damn white dress. Sarah's face burned once more at that picture. Then, it ended with Toby running into Sarah's outstretched arms, and her kissing him on top of his head, a wide smile lighting up her face.

When the crystal grew foggy again, both Sarah and Jareth were silent. "I didn't know you thought about me that much," she said after a moment. Jareth looked up at her, and she was surprised at the emotion in his eyes.

"Sarah," he said hesitantly, and she braced herself for some emotional confession. "When's the last time you've had a friend over?" he asked instead.

"I don't know," she said, shocked. "Not for a while. Why?"

"Well, you're a seventeen year old teenager, and you're sitting on your couch on a Friday night. What's wrong with this picture?"

"I'm not seventeen until October," she said, shooting him a glare. "And why does my social life bother you?"

He shrugged. "I'm just concerned about you. Think about what I said; I'm going to make some tea." He got up from the table and walked to the kitchen, leaving her speechless.

Sarah mutely watched him walk into the kitchen. Then, she growled in frustration, knowing he was right. She sighed and picked up her phone, punching in the number she knew well. The phone rang, and then, "Hello?"

"Mallory? It's me; Sarah. I was wondering, are you doing anything tonight?"

An hour later, the doorbell rang, and Sarah opened the door to her thrilled best friend. "I'm so glad you called me," Mallory said, hugging Sarah tightly.

"I'm sorry it's been a while," Sarah replied, hugging her back.

"Don't worry, all's forgiven!" Mallory walked into the house and set her bag on the couch. "Do you have any good food to eat? I'm starving." She walked towards the kitchen, but stopped dead when Jareth walked out with a mug in his hand. "Mr. King," she stuttered, turning to Sarah with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

Sarah growled and pushed in front of her friend, glaring up at Jareth, who smirked back. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked pointedly. "That was part of the deal."

He laughed and walked past the stunned Mallory, towards the stairs. "Of course. Don't mind me; you two will have the whole downstairs to yourselves. I've decided to spend the rest of my evening in my room, deep in thought. Good night, Mallory, and my lovely Sarah." With that, he disappeared up the stairs and into his room.

Mallory giggled. "He sure is an interesting guardian. Wonder what he's thinking about?"

"Who knows," Sarah growled, her thoughts returning to the mind crystal. Oh, she had a pretty good idea of what the blasted Goblin King was spending his thoughts on.


	8. Kick in the head

__**Author's Note:**_** So sorry for the delay! Things have been crazy lately, but maybe I'll be able to pump out two chapters today (the house is pretty quiet). So, without further ado, I own nothing except for my own ideas, please leave thoughtful and generous reviews, and enjoy!**_

Sarah turned the volume up even louder on her iPod, trying to drown out the noise of the high school cafeteria, which was pretty impossible. She stared blankly at the giant textbook in front of her, trying to convince her brain that, yes, she _did_ have to study, and she'd better start immediately. She groaned and rubbed her temple, trying to fight off the headache that was already coming.

She jumped in surprise when someone tapped her on the head, and then rolled her eyes when she realized who it was. She would know the feel of those long, thin fingers anywhere. "Jareth," she groaned, ripping out an ear bud. "Go away. I'm trying to study for this stupid Calc test."

The oh-so-mighty Goblin King sat across from her with a large grin on his face. "Why Miss Williams," he said tauntingly. "I do believe we have a procrastinator in our presence."

She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "Don't you have to go intimidate some poor, starry-eyed girl with your good looks and charm? I really don't need this right now."

His smirk grew even wider. "My good looks and charm? Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks I posses those qualities."

"Leave me alone," she growled. "You have no power over me!"

He faked a pout. "Oh Sarah, are we really going to bring that up again? Besides, I have a whole file full of legal documents that state that I do indeed have power over you."

She slammed her textbook shut and shoved it in her bag. "This is hopeless! I'm going to the library and I'm going to attempt to cram enough information so that I can at least pass. Enjoy your lunch, Goblin King."

"Have a beautiful day, my lovely Sarah!" She ignored his cheery wave as she grudgingly made her way to the empty library. She found herself an empty table way in the back by the history textbooks and began to spread out everything she would need for the stupid test. Then, she frowned when she felt her phone buzz from within her pocket. The only person who ever called her was Mallory, but Mallory was currently in Nevada somewhere, and knew better than to call her during school.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

On the other end was a male voice that she didn't recognize. "Is this Sarah Williams?"

"Yes, this is her. How can I help you?"

The voice paused. "Sarah, this is Dr. Bernhert from Sacred Heart Hospital. I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but I'm afraid I have bad news about your brother, Toby. Unfortunately, there's been an accident."

Sarah felt all of the air rush out of her lungs as she dropped the phone and leaned against the table to support herself. Her mind was numb at his words, and she was immediately taken back to that fatal day in June that had drastically changed her life…

_She looked through the fridge, searching for something for her and Toby to eat. She checked the time for the third time in the last minute and sighed with annoyance. Her parents were supposed to be home two hours ago. What was taking them so long?_

_ When the phone rang, she answered it with force and prepared to chew her parents out. They always gave __her__ a hard time when she came back late. Instead, it had been some other woman's voice on the phone. "Sarah Williams? I'm sorry, but there's been an accident with your parents. You need to come to the hospital, immediately."_

_ She'd rushed Toby into her car and buckled him in. She kept her foot on the gas pedal, until they'd pulled into the hospital parking lot. And that night, they had watched their parents die…_

Suddenly, Jareth was there from out of nowhere, his joking demeanor totally gone. He grabbed her phone from the floor and gripped her arm to steady her. "Hello? Yes, this is Jareth King, Toby's legal guardian. What the hell is going on? Alright, yes of course, we'll be there immediately."

He hung up the phone and grabbed her other arm with a strong grip. "Sarah," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "Come on Sarah, snap out of it. Everything's to be all right; Toby just had an accident on the playground."

She blinked at him, trying to clear her head, and then she burst into tears. "Sarah," he sighed, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Some of the students that had filtered in from lunch stared at them as she sobbed noisily into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said, hiccupping. "It's just- oh, Toby!"

He rubbed her back. "He's going to be alright, love. The doctors just want us to come down to the hospital. Come on, let's go."

"But my keys," she said shakily, pulling away from him. "They're in my locker, and that's all the way upstairs."

He rolled his eyes. "You think I'm going to be caught driving in that beat up car of yours? No, we're taking my car."

She frowned and lightly punched him in the arm. "You're a jerk. And I don't even want to think about what kind of car you drive."

Jareth's car, it turned out, was a silver 1964 Mustang convertible. Sarah just shook her head when she saw it and dutifully got in the passenger's seat. "Hey," Jareth said, as they pulled out of the parking lot. "On the bright side, you don't have to take you Calc test today."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not even funny, Goblin King. Toby's hurt, and he's in the freaking hospital. Did they say why?"

"It's alright, Sarah. Toby slid down the slide head-first and when he landed at the bottom, one of the kids accidentally kicked him in the head. The doctor said he has a pretty bad concussion, but he's going to be fine."

Sarah swallowed hard when they got out and walked towards the hospital. She stopped dead outside of the doors, her mind wandering back to that night in June. "I hate this place," she said in a tiny voice. "I hate this place with all of my heart."

Jareth smiled softly and took her hands in his. "I know you do, precious. But you have to trust me; everything's going to be alright this time. I would rather give up my entire kingdom and more than see you or Toby get seriously hurt."

"Thank you," she whispered, tears threatening to spill again. "Thank you for everything, Jareth. And I'm sorry for everything I did or said to you."

"Sarah," he said, pulling her into another tight hug. "I forgave you for everything long ago. Now come on, let's go see your baby brother."

He pulled her through the dreaded hospital doors, and she held her breath, feeling as if she were the one that had gotten kicked in the head. But, she knew that if she had the irritating, arrogant, and all together annoying Goblin King by her side, being kicked in the head wouldn't hurt at all.


	9. Seeking Solace

**Author's Note: **_**And another chapter up! Originally, this was just going to be a collection of drabble-like pieces, but I've decided to add some plot to make things more interesting. Remember, I only own my ideas, please review, and enjoy!**_

"Welcome, Jareth, King of the Goblins, Ruler of the Labyrinth, and Caretaker of Lost Wishes."

Jareth looked around at his surroundings with confusion. One second he was in his room, trying to decipher a student's essay on symbolism, and now he was in the courts of the High King. "How-" he started, and then saw that Glerrin, the High King was holding a crystal filled with a pale pink mist. "Aah," he said, bowing his head. "High King. I see you've called me here by DreamSpeak."

The High King looked up from the document he was reading and smiled slightly. His violet eyes were filled with the wisdom of one who has seen and experienced much, and for that, Jareth respected him highly. "Well, Jareth," the wise king said. "I've been trying to contact you in your Labyrinth for ages, but it seems that you've been absent from its walls."

"I wouldn't exactly call it my Labyrinth," Jareth muttered, frowning. "It has a mind and spirit of its own. I can only try my best to control it." He shook his head to clear it and looked back at the king. "And I am sorry, High King. I was called to Aboveground a while ago for important business."

Glerrin frowned and studied his document. "Yes, I was informed that you went to Aboveground to seek custody of the mortal child, Sarah Williams and her brother, Toby. May I ask why you left your kingdom under the care of no one to attend to these two children?"

"I was answering a wish," Jareth said, bristling. "Sarah and Toby recently lost their parents to a fatal accident, and they were in the need of a guardian. Sarah Williams wished that she and her brother would find a guardian that loved them, and I was obliged to answer that wish."

"Oh?" Glerrin raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I thought that as Ruler of Lost Wishes, you had control of what you have to answer and what you can ignore. Isn't that so?"

Jareth sighed and rubbed his temples. "That is the general belief, but I have to admit that it's not entirely true. Some wishers I have to answer at all costs." _But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers._

"I see. And I'm assuming that by some wishers, you mean Sarah Williams. Am I right, Jareth?" Glerrin shoved his document to the side and got up from his chair to stand in front of the flustered Goblin King.

Jareth's heart sunk deep into his stomach. So the High King had discovered his secret. Yes, indeed, the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl. "You are correct, High King."

Suddenly, Glerrin's stern face turned to a sympathetic smile. "Jareth, you are my only remaining relative and you were always my closest nephew, so I always know what's going on in your life. I know why you brought Sarah into your Labyrinth; why you gave her the chance to run it. And I know you were broken when she didn't choose you."

"Uncle," Jareth said, shaking his head and trying to bury his emotions. Then, he broke. "She was my Champion," he said in a whisper. "I knew when I first saw her that she was going to beat my Labyrinth one day, so I gave her the power of always having her wishes heard. She was supposed to choose me in the end, but instead, she made it so that I couldn't even look in on her anymore. That is, until she made that wish, and practically invited me back into her life."

Glerrin placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You know it's not allowed for a mortal to know of the Underground."

"But Sarah's always believed," he protested. "She believed in the Underground the minute she picked up that little red book, before she even wished that I would take away her brother!"

"I know, Jareth. But either way, it's still not allowed, and something will have to eventually be done about it. She will have to forget everything."

"No." Jareth squeezed his eyes shut. "She needs me; they both do. And I need her."

Glerrin turned away from Jareth and slowly began to pace the empty court room. "There might be another way," he said quietly.

Jareth looked up. "Anything."

"I can tell that you care about her deeply. And you need a Queen, Goblin King."

Jareth was stunned. "Sarah? You want me to make her my Queen? She's not even seventeen yet!"

"Think about it," Glerrin said fiercely. "If Sarah became the Goblin Queen, everything would work out. She wouldn't have to forget about the Underworld, because she would be living in it. And eventually, when you take my place, she would rule it at your side. You would always have each other. And Jareth, for the sake of your Labyrinth, and your future kingdom, you need a Queen. Otherwise, things would fail."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Sarah would never agree. She's still hurting from the death of her parents, and deep down, she still resents me for taking her brother. She's too stubborn, and I would never force her to wed me. I am not my father."

"I know you aren't, Nephew." Glerrin's eyes got a faraway look as he remembered the evils of the past. "What my brother did to your mother still leaves scars on this land. I would never allow it to happen again. But Jareth, you have to think of something. I can only help you so much."

"Thank you, Uncle," Jareth said quietly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to return to Aboveground now."

"Of course." Glerrin smiled and touched Jareth's forehead. "If you need anything, just call."

Then, Jareth woke up in his bed at Sarah's house. He had fallen asleep with the lamp on and a stack of papers in his lap. Looking over at the clock on his nightstand, he saw that it was getting late, but he had to see her. Maybe her face would calm his racing mind and fearful thoughts.

He got out of his bed and knocked on her closed door. She opened it with a grumpy expression, and even then she was still beautiful. "Sarah," he said, looking for comfort from her silvery green eyes. Yes, her face did bring him peace.

"I was almost asleep," she growled. "You'd better need something extremely important, or I might just kill you."

He couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to say goodnight."

She rolled her eyes. "You drive me crazy, Goblin King. Goodnight." She shut the door in his face, and he sighed with relief. He conquered up a crystal and watched her crawl in bed. He sent her a blessing of sweet dreams, and watched as she drifted to sleep.

"Everything will be alright," he whispered. "You are my beautiful Champion, and I will always seek solace from you."

Then, Jareth went back to his room, and as he was about to drift into sleep, he wondered how in hell he was going to convince her to be his Queen.


	10. Hold my hand

**Author's Note:**_** I'm currently writing this from the warm evening air in San Antonio, Texas while listening to my brand new writing playlist, which consists mostly of Chopin. Remember: I own nothing except for my ideas; the rest belongs to the genius Jim Henson. As usual, enjoy and please leave generous reviews!**_

Sarah stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her. She threw open the door to her car and climbed in while her mind burned in furry. "Stupid, bossy Goblin King," she growled to herself as she started her car and backed out of the garage. She turned the radio up until it was a few notches from ear-splitting, and without really paying attention, Sarah drove.

Her thoughts were wild as she blindly turned her car onto a road she didn't recognize. She'd come home to one prickly Goblin King, and at first she couldn't figure out why he kept biting her head off. He'd even been snappish with poor Toby, which had definitely pissed Sarah off. She thought back to their fight as she blindly turned a corner and turned the music up louder.

_She was cutting up vegetables for a salad in the kitchen when Jareth entered. Upon seeing her, his face hardened and he turned back around to leave, but she angrily threw the knife down. "What is your problem?" she demanded, and he turned back around to face her._

_ "I beg your pardon," he said coldly._

_ She bristled. "Your problem. You've been acting prickly towards me all evening, ever since I walked through the front door. You're even being snappish to Toby, who's been nothing but a sweetheart all day. That kid doesn't have a bratty bone in him, but you're treating him like a whiny six year old girl in a Barbie store. So tell me, what the hell is wrong with you?"_

_ "I don't have to tell you anything, Sarah, whether you believe it or not." He turned back around to walk out the door, but she growled and chucked a piece of broccoli at his back. He spun back around with furry in his eyes, but she didn't falter._

_ "You will tell me," she growled, picking up the knife. "You'll tell me what I did to piss you off so much, or so help me god Jareth, I'll throw this knife as hard as I can at your arrogant, blown up head."_

_ Suddenly he was right in her face, looking angry enough to kill. "Drop the knife Sarah," he said in a dangerously low voice. She did, mostly out of surprise; she'd never seen him that upset. He gripped her wrists and held them up in front of her face so that she couldn't move. They were so close that his breath tickled the top of her head, and she actually had to look up to see him._

_ "Do you want to know why I'm upset?" His voice was so low that she had to strain to hear him. He twisted her wrists a little, causing her to wince. "Why don't you ask your friend Calvin Mayern when you go out on your fancy little rendezvous tomorrow?"_

_ She scoffed at his words. "I honestly don't believe it. You're mad because I'm going on a date? You've been telling me how I have to get back to my life!"_

_ He twisted her wrists even harder and she bit back a cry of pain. "You never asked me Sarah," he snarled. "I'm your guardian, which means I need to know what you're doing to get back to your life. You're my responsibility."_

_ "You're not actually pulling the guardian card, are you?" He growled and bent her hand so they were nearly backwards, and this time she did cry out. His eyes were nearly black, and Sarah was beginning to get frightened._

_ "Sarah Margaret Williams, you will listen to me! You may believe that I have no power over you, but you yourself gave me back that power, and unfortunately you're stuck with me! I demand your respect, which includes telling me when you feel the need to go out on a date. Do you understand me?"_

_ He shook her and she cringed. She'd always known that he had a bit of a temper, but this scared her. "Jareth," she panted. "You're hurting me."_

_ Something in his eyes changed and he suddenly let go of her, causing her to stumble backwards into the sink. He stormed away without another look; without even looking back. Sarah watched him leave as she massaged her aching wrists. Then she yanked her keys from the table and stomped to the garage door._

Now she beat her hands against the steering wheel as hot tears of anger and hurt streamed down her face. She didn't even try to stop them as she sped way past the speed limit on some road in the middle of nowhere. The tears blurred her vision, and combined with the darkness of the approaching winter, made it nearly impossible to see. She didn't care though; she was too upset to care.

"Why?" she half sobbed. Why did he have to get like that? The comforting Jareth had been completely gone as he shook her, and he hardly seemed to care that he was causing her pain. And why did it matter to him if she went out on a date? She laughed bitterly as the thought of the Goblin King being jealous crossed her mind. He wouldn't be jealous because of her; not the childish teenager that had first wished away her baby brother to him, and then burdened him the task of taking care of them. It just wasn't possible.

She kept beating her fists on the steering wheel to push away her anger, and slowly came to a realization that she had no idea where she was. In her rage, she hadn't even paid attention to where she was going. She let go of the wheel to wipe away her tears, and then screamed when a huge deer appeared in the middle of the road from out of nowhere.

Sarah yanked the steering wheel hard to the right to miss the stupid deer and ended up swerving completely off the road and into a steep ditch. She cried out in fear as her tiny car tipped onto its side. The window shattered into pieces, spraying her with glass.

She began to really cry then as she tried to unclip her seatbelt. It was stuck tight though, and so was she. In her rage she had forgotten to grab her cell phone, and she was stuck out in the middle of nowhere unless someone drove past her, and the chances of that happening were very slim.

Unless… unless she decided to call on the Goblin King. He probably wouldn't come to her aid, but it was the only option she had. Her whole side hurt, and all the blood was rushing to her head. She spit out bits of glass and blood. "I wish the Goblin King would come to my side, right now," she sobbed, and hopped to the high heavens that he would come.

After a few minutes of silence, she began to cry even harder. "Please come," she whispered. "Jareth, please."

A pounding noise on the side of her car made her scream in fear, and then sob in relief when she saw Jareth's frantic face starring down at her. "Sarah," he shouted. "Don't worry; I'm going to get you out. Just close your eyes, precious."

She squeezed her eyes shut, and after the strangest feeling of nausea, she was no longer in the car, but being cradled in his arms. He brushed the hair from her stick forehead and whispered soothing words in her ear while she sobbed. "It's alright love. Sarah, you're safe; I won't let anything hurt you." He rocked her back and forth until her sobs subdued.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to storm off like that; you just made me so upset." She pressed her face into his shirt and took in his comforting, cinnamonny smell.

"Shhh," he murmured. "I know I frightened you, and I swear Sarah, I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't."

After she calmed down, he did a thorough job of checking her over for any serious injuries. He healed the scratches from the glass, and promised her that she didn't have to go to the hospital. "Let's take you home, precious," he said. "Close your eyes again."

Sarah did, and again she experienced that same nauseating feeling, like spinning too fast for too long. Her knees buckled out from under her, so Jareth caught her and picked her up bridal style. He carried her up the stairs and gently laid her in her bed, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead. As he turned to leave again, she grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she protested weakly. "I can't stop thinking about my parents, and I know I won't be able to sleep. Don't leave, please."

"Alright," he said softly, and lay down beside her on top of the covers. "I won't leave you Sarah. I'll stay here until you fall asleep, and I'll hold your hand." He took her small, cold hands in his large, warm ones.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. Now that she was safe, she was beginning to feel very tired. "Don't stop holding my hands," she begged, and after he whispered that he wouldn't, she let herself be claimed by sleep.

And Jareth stayed, holding onto her hand.


	11. Fairy tale

** Author's Note: **_**I'd like to say a big thanks to the couple of guest reviewers for the friendly encouragement and if you had an account, I would definitely PM you, but you don't so… I would also like to encourage you all to check out my second Labyrinth FanFic called "I Move the Stars for No One." I would really enjoy feedback on that one too. Without further ado, please enjoy and please review when you are finished.**_

Sarah woke to the comforting sight of sunlight shining through her window. She smiled at the feeling of it warming her face, and then she bolted upright in her bed. "Sunlight," she gasped. "Oh crap." With winter approaching it was dark when she woke up in the morning. She scrambled for her alarm clock and moaned when she saw that it had been disconnected. She flew out of bed, yanked her robe from her bed post and took the stairs three at a time. "Oh no, oh no," she moaned all the while and yelped when the grandfather clock in her living room betrayed that the time was 9:23 am. Sarah Williams was nearly two hours late for school.

She ran from the living room and flew into the kitchen, prepared to grab something from the fridge and run. Instead, she got the air knocked straight out of her when she ran right into Jareth. She probably would've fallen if he hadn't quickly grabbed her by the elbows and steadied her. "Someone's in a rush this morning," he said, raising her eyebrows.

"Jareth," she blubbered. "I'm supposed to be at school, and so are you! Well, for you it's work, but it's still in school, and we're both incredibly late and my alarm didn't go off this morning and why didn't you wake me up?" She drew a breath to continue, but Jareth frowned and covered her mouth with his hand, effectively silencing her.

"For all that's good in this world, relax Sarah!" She stared up him in surprise, half tempted to lick his hand, but she figured that would be childish and awkward. He shook his head at her and rolled his eyes. "I purposely disconnected your alarm this morning. I figured I'd let you sleep in this morning, seeing as this is a special day."

"Mmmph," Sarah mumbled into his hand, and glared up at him. He grinned and removed his hand so she could talk. "Why is today special?"

He frowned at her and rolled his eyes. "Honestly Sarah, I know your head's always in the clouds somewhere, but I thought you would at least remember your own birthday!"

Sarah's mind faltered as she digested his words. "Oh," she said stupidly. "It's October 24th? I didn't realize."

"Obviously," he snorted. "Well, a wonderful happy birthday to you, my smart girl!"

She stared at him, trying to figure out how she forgot her own birthday. Today she was seventeen years old. He put an oven mitt on his hand and grabbed something from the oven. That's when Sarah realized he was wearing an apron over his jeans and casual sweater. "Are you cooking?" she asked incredibly, gawking at him. "You look very maternal. What do you think the goblins would do if they saw you now?"

He turned and glared at her. "I would quickly change into my usual attire, of course. Then I would hold you head first over the Bog of Eternal Stench to frighten them, even if it is your birthday. And I made you something for your birthday breakfast."

As he opened the oven door, her nose was assaulted with the most delicious smell ever. As Jareth placed it on the counter she realized that it was a cinnamon-peach pie and it was her turn to glare at him. "I don't like peaches."

"Yes you do," he said matter-of-factly. He grabbed a knife and began to slice the pie. "I know for a fact that peaches were your favorite fruit and you stopped eating them after you went through my Labyrinth."

"I only stopped liking them because of you," she burst out. "You made my friend give me a peach laced with god-knows-what that sent me into some crazy dream that involved a crystal ballroom, the poufiest white dress that I've ever seen, and you!"

"And for that I'm sorry," he said, surprising her. "Today, let's put that behind us as we celebrate your birthday. Now, taste this pie; it's best fresh from the oven." With that, he shoved a fork with pie in her open mouth, causing her to sputter with embarrassment.

"Jareth!" She had to admit that the pie was delicious and she really did love peaches. She shot him another glare, took up a fork and began to devour her piece, ignoring his smug look. "So, what are we doing today if I'm not going to school?"

"It's a surprise," he said mysteriously. "I can't tell you, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Now, if you're finished, go upstairs, take a shower and put on something pretty." She rolled her eyes at him but did what he said.

After showering, she stood in her closest, trying to decide what to wear. She finally opted for a pair of dark jeans, brown ballet flats, and a dark green shirt with long, flowing sleeves. Looking in the mirror she declared herself presentable and she went back down to Jareth. In the short time that she'd been upstairs, he'd managed to clean up the kitchen so it looked brand-spanking new. She rolled her eyes again when she saw the crystal he rolled in his hands. Of course he'd had help.

He stared when she came in. "You look stunning," he said softly, and she blushed.

"Thanks," she replied quickly. "Now what?"

"Now, you accompany me to the garage." He held out his hand and she reluctantly took it, allowing him to lead her into the garage. She gasped when she saw what awaited her.

"You fixed my car!" After the deer-swerving accident her car had been completely totaled and she had been stuck with getting rides from Jareth. Of course, that had earned her many open-mouthed stares from her classmates as they pulled into the school parking lot in that car of his. But now, her car sat in its place in the garage looking even better than it did when she had bought it. "Oh Jareth, thank you so much!" Without thinking, she threw her arms around him, but immediately pulled away, blushing fiercely.

His eyes had an odd expression as he gazed at her, so she looked away. "You're very welcome. Now, get in my car and we'll go to the next place." Sarah did as he said, looking at his car in near-disgust as she got in. It was a flashy, gaudy thing that was probably incredibly expensive, but she just knew that Jareth had gotten it for free. She hated it, but at the same time she couldn't help loving it. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even inquire where he was taking her. It was a short drive; it was barely a five minute drive and he had stopped the car.

"We're at the park," she said, getting out and looking around. "Why didn't we walk? It would've saved the ozone layer from more car emissions."

Jareth groaned. "Hush; we didn't walk here because I didn't want to carry this. It's heavy." He grabbed a huge picnic basket from the back seat and started walking. Sarah followed, grumbling about global warming and such. Soon, they arrived at the park's large pavilion. "I rented this so you and I could have a picnic here. I know how much you love this place." He set the basket down and proceeded to open it.

"You know," she said, observing him. "You could've just magically brought us here, like you did when you brought me home from the accident."

"That would've drained a lot of my energy," he explained. "I have to be careful when I'm Aboveground; my magic is harder to come by. Besides, then I wouldn't have been able to do this."

She watched curiously as he produced a crystal and dropped it into the basket. For a second nothing happened, but then the pavilion suddenly lit up with bright golden light. Sarah gasped in amazement, for the pavilion was suddenly something straight out of her fantasies.

It was covered in white and gold streamers, lights and candles. It didn't even bother her how much it looked like the crystal ballroom. "It's beautiful," she whispered in awe. "How did you know?"

"I've seen your dreams," he said simply, lighting the candles. "And finally," here is your last gift."

Sarah took the small box he handed her and opened it. She gasped as she pulled out a golden bracelet with a watch charm. She giggled when she saw that the watch had thirteen numbers instead of the twelve. "It's beautiful."

"It's also a locket," he said, opening the tiny latch for her. Her eyes pricked with unshed tears as she saw that on one side of the locket was a picture of her family: Karen, Daddy, Toby, and her. It had been taken a few weeks before their accident, and they all looked so happy. "I'll help you put it on," he said softly, breaking through her sad thoughts. She held out her wrist and he clasped it on, holding onto her wrist a little longer than necessary.

"You know," he said as they sat down to eat. "This is where I first saw you. I wasn't lying when I said that I've met your father before."

She looked at him in surprise. "You weren't?"

"I wasn't. You see, I was drawn to you when you were about three. You knew how to read and you were reading aloud from Labyrinth. You were all by yourself, so I figured someone must be looking for you. I dressed in Aboveground attire and led you back to your father. He was very grateful, so I suppose we could be considered friends."

She blinked. "Why don't I remember this?"

He looked at her. "I made you forget. Even then, I thought you were beautiful."

She blushed and didn't say a word. They stayed in the pavilion for the rest of the day, and at the end they watched the sun set. Sarah didn't say much; she was too overwhelmed by his comment. As she watched the sun turn shade of pink, orange and red, all she could think about how perfect it all was. It all fit in place; it was all taken straight from her most desired dream. Even Jareth, she realized as she looked over at him. He too fit right into her perfect fairy tale.

_**Don't forget to check out "I Move the Stars for No One," my second FanFiction!**_


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